Ira Shor: "Educating Is Political"

This was a really good last reading since it is about politics in education and this class is called “Schooling in a Democratic society”. I have learned so much from this class and I am really glad I took it. This reading was about how there should be more political information discussed in classrooms during children’s education. Growing up as a child my parents didn’t talk about politics much in the house and I really only learned what I know from media. I can’t recall one time in my elementary school, or even middle school. In high school it was required to take history courses which gave some knowledge on politics but to make my point, I never took any classes or thoroughly learned about politics until this year. Last semester I passed Political Science 201 with a C because I really didn’t have any background knowledge of what I was being taught and it was hard for me. Although, I did learn a lot from that class. I learned that politics affects so many things, especially the way we live. A lot of us, as Americans, don’t realize how good we have it in a Democratic society. The following quotes stood out to me in this reading:

“Empowered students make meaning and act from reflection, instead of memorizing fact' and value, handed to them.”

“Not encouraging student' to question knowledge, society and experience tacitly endorses and supports the status quo. A curriculum that does not challenge the standard syllabus and conditions in society informs student' that knowledge and the world are fixed and are line the way they are, with no role for students to play in transforming them, and no need for change.”

“To socialize students, education tries to teach them the shape of knowledge and current society, the meaning of past events, the possibilities for the future, and their place in the world they live in. lnforming the students conception of self and the world, teachers can present knowledge in several way'. As a celebration of the existing society, as a falsely neutral avoidance or problem, coated in the system, or as a critical inquiry into power and knowledge as they relate to student experience.”

**Did anyone take classes in High School or other schools that were more about politics? How did You learn about politics and society?

Kliewer

Starting as a freshman in High School the special needs children were very secluded and didn’t really interact much with the other kids. I noticed that they weren’t with us in classes like gym, art and culinary arts. I always that it was weird because in my middle school they were very much involved in these types of classes. I brought the subject up to my parents once and they would tell me that when they were in High School the special needs children were always picked on and sometimes even beat up. I couldn’t even imagine the cruelty of something like that. I think that special needs people are such an inspiration and are just different in their own way like every single one of us. As I became a sophomore, junior and senior I noticed that this made a drastic change in my school. I had an art class with this special needs girl named Selena and she was truly a sweetheart. She sat in my group and I always helped her with everything. In my High School the special needs children were friended by everyone and if anyone picked on or made fun of them the person offending them would probably have been made fun of or even beat up. I saw a huge change in the way they interacted with the rest of us towards the end of my High School career and I think it is absolutely amazing and wonderful. Now I am a part of an All- Star cheerleading company and one of our teams is special needs and they always have their own division at competitions and it always melts everyone’s hearts to see them perform. I do believe that this concern of special needs people not being treated right or equally has changed and will continue too.

Does anyone else feel the same way? That this subject has changed a lot and we should be proud and continue to make the difference everywhere. Is anyone concentrating in special education and if so why?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xpD8s7Bu5fA&feature=related

"Literacy with and Attitude"

This was a really good reading this week, I enjoyed reading it. It had me thinking a lot and so did everyone else’s posts. Of course, everyone is entitled to their opinion from what they have heard, seen and experienced. I don't know if I agree completely with this reading only because of my own experiences. Both of my parents grew up in houses with two parents that struggled with money. My dad started working at the age of nine and always saved his money for his future. His parents had just came from Portugal and got factory jobs. My father became a police officer at the age of twenty one and went to college at Roger Williams later to receive his bachelor’s degree. He worked overtime holidays, and even risked his life many times doing undercover detective work while me and my sister were little just to know that we would be able to go to college one day. I have pictures with him with ear piercings and a full beard while he was undercover and my sister and I were three and four. When he was financial stable enough he bought apartment houses and rented them out as another way of getting money for his family. As a respectable landlord he cuts all of the tenants grass and fixes any problems they have. His life definitely wasn't easy and he made a lot of sacrifices. He was always smart with money even though he came from a family that had very little. As he got older and became respected by so many people he got promoted to sergeant, lieutenant, deputy chief and now Police Chief of the Bristol Police department. It’s kind of like “if there’s a will there’s a way”.  Everyone can make something of themselves without coming from a wealthy family. It is understandable now that college tuition is ridiculous but there are so many ways from student loans, financial aid and the endless list of scholarships to apply for. Your attitude on life will get you where you want to be.

Has anyone else heard of stories like this where people rise above unfortunate money situations?

"Becoming Something Different"

I really liked this reading for this week. It was very interesting and I liked how they included all the dialogue from the little girl. From doing that it gave a better perspective of what this young girl was like. Throughout the reading I had the feeling that this young girl did not have the confidence she needed. Because she was Mexican and had just moved to Texas she was obviously not up to speed with the rest of the children but she was certainly capable. When they started talking about how she made a group of friends that were really supportive of her academically and socially it was a good turning point in the reading. It is really important to have people that become close to you that can relate to you and that can help you. You cannot do everything on your own and it is okay to ask for help.  For me, it was very scary coming to college I felt like I was going to be completely on my own but that is not the case. I met so many people last semester and have many friends that I have been friends with for years that go to RIC. Being in FNED 150 last semester really helped a lot also. I have a very generous and caring teacher that really just wanted to help us. I know that I can email her with any question I have and she always gets back to me. Things started changing for the better for Esme in the reading when she met these friends. It is better to go through things with someone else there, always.

*Does anyone else have someone that they go to at school that they can get help from, like a friend or a previous teacher?

Wise - 3 Quotes

  1 . "In other words, whites are fully capable of competing for and receiving any of the other monies-, roughly 99.75 percent of all the bucks out there for college. But apparently, that's just not good enough for the likes of the BU Republicans."
This quote stood out to me because this is what this article is mainly about and I feel like whites are capable of recieving most scholarships. It is disturbing that people can actually complain about something like this.
2. "In truth, only 3.5 percent of college students of color receive any scholarship even partly based on race, suggesting that such programs remain a pathetically small piece of the financial aid picture in this country, irrespective of what a gaggle of reactionary white folks might believe."
This second quote stood out to me because what these people are argueing about isn't even worth it due to this fact.
3. "Of course, on an even more basic level, to complain about so-called unfair preferences for students of color, be it in terms of scholarships or affirmative action policies in admissions, is to ignore the many ways in which the nation's educational system provides unfair advantages to whites, from beginning to end."

This last quote stood out to me because it made me think of all that has been done wrong to african american in general with racism especially in schools. Being segregated, harassed, only being allowed to sit at the back of the bus and whatever else was done to them in the years of Martin Luther King Jr. This should not even be in the running for arguement with what they have been put through.

Gender & Education

http://gender-issues-in-schools-today.wikispaces.com/Goal+1+-+Academic+Achievement

"Tips for teachers :

1. Make sure our expectations are the same for all of your students. Both genders can succeed in math and reading (Parents' Source, 2010).
2. Do not accept anything less than every students' best work.
3. Be sure to call on boys and girls equally for every subject and praise them equally for a job well done.
4. Try to put girls and boys in non-traditional situations (Parents' Source, 2010)."



"In Service of What?" Kahne & Westheimer

 

I really liked this reading. It made me think a lot about how I never had opportunities in High School to do service learning and community service. When I started tutoring it made me feel really good that I am do something to help other people. It is a good feeling of self-satisfaction and I also love doing things for other people. My group of friends I have call me the mom of the group because I am also doing things for other people and most of the time, for them. I love the feeling of doing something for someone else and I love to see smiles on people’s faces due to something I had done for them.

The only type of service learning I did in High school was a graduation requirement that was done in my sophomore US History class. We got into groups chosen by the teacher. I didn’t really know anyone in my group so we were kind of all miserable and just wanted to get it over with. We decided to collect food cans at the local Stop & Shop for hungry children around the US. So on a Saturday morning my group of four other teenagers got up on our day off from school at seven in the morning. It was definitely not a fun experience.

               When I started tutoring I got the feeling of regret. I wish that I had done more service learning projects and community service in High School and even Middle School. It is hard to tell if people actually really enjoy something like this or if they do it just for a grade or whatever it may be. I guess the only way you can really find out is if they do it for own experience or something like that.

http://youtu.be/NVs22pLzCoo

Talking points: Did anyone do some kind of service learning or community service that was really interesting or touching?

Post # 4

 Michaelson, “Inclusion and Social Justice for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Members of the Learning Community in Queensland State Schools”

I liked reading this article. I felt that it was very informative and interesting. This reflection is mainly about the experiences that I unfortunately haven’t had. When we first started talking about this topic in class I was very curious and intrigued due to my lack of knowledge on the subject. Watching the video in class and reading the children’s books on the subject of GLBT, I wasn’t aware of schools that taught about Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender. I thought in my head while watching the video that this may have been after I got out of elementary school but the clothing the children in the video were wearing made me think otherwise. I never knew that there were schools around the United States that had Gay Pride day and I also was not aware of the books on GLBT.

 I went to public school my whole life and I was never taught anything about this subject in any of my classes, or ever had a Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender teacher that would be open to talking about their sexuality. Not until High School, did we have a group called the “Gay/Straight Alliance” and every year we have a day of silence for Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual and Transgender people. On this day if you supported the GLBT idea you would wear a sticker and not talk all day unless needed. I always thought this was such a good idea for support and almost the whole school would do it.  Learning about this, this week, I feel very unfortunate to never have been able to discuss this topic in school. I think that kids should talk about it openly to become more comfortable with the idea and learn more about it before they are so quick to judge. But, while having our discussion in class the whole time I was wondering how do you really get into this topic with young children?

http://gaylife.about.com/od/gayteens/ss/studentteacher.htm

"Unlearning The Myths That Blind US"

I really liked this reading. It is definitely my favorite from what we have read in FNED so far. The topics that come up in this reading are ones that I think about on a daily basis. Every day when I wake up and get dressed, trying on outfits is always a problem for me. I don’t think I ever look in the mirror and say I really like what I am wearing. Instead, I think of things in my head like is this weird? Would this person wear this? I think I saw a pretty girl in a magazine wearing these kinds of pants with this shirt. I find myself always judging from what I have seen on TV, in magazines, and so on. It actually scares me and I wonder if I really have my own style or even my own opinion. In the reading the girl named Justine says “It can be overwhelming and discouraging to find out my whole self-image has been formed mostly by others or underneath my own worries about what I look like are years of being exposed to TV images of girls and their set roles given to them by TV and the media.” In the reading it says that this actually depresses Justine and it almost gives me the same feeling.  Obviously when you’re little you don’t realize what movies and TV shows are “secretly” teaching you. But as I got older I started to really see that all the princesses in Disney movies were skinny, beautiful and white. And I have to say that when I saw the previews for the recent Disney Movie “The Princess and The Frog” it put a smile on my face to see that the princess is African American. It gave me hope that our society really is changing. Although it may be a slow change, I believe we’ll get there some day. Of those who heard about this movie, seen it, or seen previews, did you feel the same way? That this little thing of, making an African American princess in a Disney movie, could be the beginning of more change for us or a little step?

"Why can't she remember that?" Meier

This author, Terry Meier, talks about bilingual and multicultural students around the United States that try hard every day to balance out their lives. As the years go by more and more children know more than one language. This is most definitely a good thing although as a child it can sometimes be very hard. There are so many children that are translators for their parents and other family members. They are usually the translator in between their parents/guardians and teachers. There are many things that a teacher can do that can help out children like this. One of the points they talk about in the reading is the importance of storytelling. Children are getting smarter and smarter. Entering a kindergarten classroom in the school I do my tutoring at, I was very surprised to see these children reading short books and understanding completely. This was only because I remember being in kindergarten and just playing in the sandbox and coloring for only half a day. I was also surprised in this article where it said, “Linguistic research reveals that, by the age of 3, the vast majority or children all over the world have mastered all of the sounds and most of the complex grammatical systems of their native language or languages”. Is it me, or does this sound young?

A very big part of a bilingual child’s development is social interactions. It seems that children are learning a lot from each other as well as parenting and educational matters. I grew up in a neighborhood filled with kids and when I think of my childhood I always think about the kids I grew up with. We all learned things from each other. Some things which were good learning experiences and others which were not. It’s really important for children to have social development because it can affect many things.

"Amazing Grace"

This short piece called "Amazing Grace" by Jonathan Kozol is very powerful. It gives us, as people not living in as bad of conditions as these people, a better look at the way low income people have to live. We all have some knowledge, from different sources, that places like the Bronx are filled with poor people that live in terrible circumstances. If you really take the time to learn about their circumstances it makes you feel grateful for what you have and appreciative. There is so much information in this piece that is very shocking. I really enjoyed reading this and learning a little bit more about this topic.

1. The first quote that really stood out to me was, "In 1991, the median household income of the area, according to the New York Times, was $7,600." I know that this was over twenty years ago and money was a little different back then but supporting a family on seven thousand six hundred dollars is rediculous. When food, clothing and everything else comes into play that is almost nothing.

2. The second quote that had an impact on me was one where a father is talking about how he goes to sleep freezing on a December night with his family. "You cover up... and hope that you wake up the next morning. " "Says a father of four children, one of them an infant one month old, as they prepare to climb into their sleeping bags in hats and coats on a December night." That is really unimaginable that people have to live like this. Especially with a one month old. Babies are so fragile and sleeping in freezing weather is not something they require at their first months in the world.

3. The final quote that really tugged at my heart was when the little boy Cliffe takes the man to the park and looks up at the bears in the tree. My first thought when this was introduced was that little kids must have been playing around and got the stuffed animal bear stuck in the tree. Then when Cliffe says "I say a boy shot right over there" I was very surprised. I can't even imagine witnessing something like that at the age of seven years old. I just don't know how some people that live in places like this are able to ever smile again. But they do.

My name is Janelle. I am from Bristol Rhode Island and I am a commuter student at Rhode Island College. I love being home and spending time with my family, friends and dogs. I went to Bristol-Warren public schooling and attended Mt. Hope High School. I have been a cheerleader since I was eight years old and now cheer for an All-Star Cheerleading team called "Out of Control All-Stars". I live on the water and love boating and swimming. I work on a Golf Course and I am also a babysitter. I love being around children and teaching them to learn is something that I am really looking forward to.